MarQ1

Since all of the spammers seem to like this title, I thought I’d repeat it. I never said I wasn’t perverse.

Knitting. F&F has been sitting idle for a while while I get the holiday knitting out of the way. Yes, technically the holidays are beyond us, but we’re going to Big D later in January for Mom’s BD, and I owe her another whippet sweater—which is coming along swimmingly, thank you—and why is everyone searching the web for knitted whippet coat patterns? Could it be that whippets are the Kate Moss of dogs—w/o the personal issues, of course—and could stand to put on weight as easily as the rest of us do? Poor things: they’re cold and can’t shop for themselves.

I’m usually cold and if I had to wait for me to finish a sweater, I’d freeze to death. Good thing I can shop. Not that I like to.

Apparently my niece liked her hat. Mom said so. She even said so.

Kudos to my sister. My nieces are absolutely frighteningly rapid with the thank you notes. Postmarked the day after Χmas. I’m such a slug.

I worked the “Week of the Dead”, i.e., the week btwn Χmas and New Year’s, with no visible signs of aging, save those I came in with, and got some lovely database work done and, thanks to 4 to 5 hours of conference calls, considerable progress on the second sock (see below). It was what I imagine working in Europe in August must be like: no interruptions, no phone calls, less than 20 e-mails a day, a chance to think and ponder how nice it would be if no one else ever came back to work.

We’re headed back out to PA tomorrow to stay with friends for New Year’s weekend. Should be fun. Some drinking. Some eating. Some good conversation. Some knitting in the down time. I might finish a sock.

Happy New Year, everyone. Good fortune, good health, good food, good drink, good friends for all.

So I’m not so into the Holidays—less so this year, this being the first time in over a decade where I’ve worked between Χmas and New Year’s.

Today, I took a day off. J & I need to find a console/buffet table for the living/dining room. It will be replacing the desk that is buried under all of my current knitting. J’s goal is for a piece of furniture that can store much of my knitting. Wish him luck.

I did get some knitting done in RI: one entire sock.

And I cast on for the second sock before we left for home.

The sock is loosely based on Nancy Bush’s Gentleman’s Half Hose in Ringwood Pattern from Knitting Vintage Socks. The yarn, Gems Opal, is thicker than the pattern calls for and I’ve reduced the number of stitches and substituted a Dutch heel and a French toe.

There are two problems with this sock. First, the foot is about ¾ in. too short, so I need to take out the toe and add six rounds in length. This is okay because the French toe doesn’t work very well with this sport-weight yarn. Second, and more problematic, this sock weighs 60 g; the skein weighs approximately 105 g and I have only one skein. I can’t decide whether to buy more of the same colour in a different dyelot or replace 7 or 8 g of the toe with a contrasting color that I already have, either red or purple.

Later. Time to get dressed for shopping.

Back to work tomorrow.

10 am, on a Saturday morning two days before xmas, I’m on a conference call to discuss on-going testing for a system conversion. And we’re trying to pack up and head up to Rhode Island to spend the holiday with J’s family. Tuesday morning I back in the office. This is not going to feel like a three-day weekend.

What to take to knit (quietly in the corner)? Nothing is currently portable, so I’ve packed yarn and dpn’s for socks.

I’ve made two cheese balls and J made some French Canadian pork spread—blech!—to take along. I forgot to buy crackers, so we’ll have to hit the grocery store when we get there. We’ve also got wine to bring. And a few presents.

I hope everyone has a relaxing and pleasant holiday.

Same old, same old.

Still cranking away at the second whippet sweater. Still working too much. Whipping up a new hat—that’s probably too small and I’ll have give to someone much younger.Which means I’ll probably make two.

Thursday I made it to the gym—with my gym shorts. My response to the desk clerk that said, “Have a nice workout”? “That’ll be the day,” under my breath of course.

Saturday, I went back and found out that all the effort controlling my bike on the uneven roads of Brooklyn, while it did a good job on my shoulders, biceps, pecs—actually, just so so—and upper back, did absolutely nothing for my forearms. Two days later and they still hurt. The muscles, not the joints.

Dinner Sunday night: Sopa de Lima. Fab.

And the best news? J has to go to FedEx tomorrow, so I don’t have to. Woohoo. Solstice shipping done.

So much for that bit of premature glee. I just though of three or four gifts I have yet to buy/make, much less ship.

I went to the gym this morning at 5:45am. As I stood in front of a locker beginning to undress, I realized that I left my gym shorts at home on the kitchen counter.

I went home and knit.

When push came to shove, I just didn’t have the heart or time to finish another scarf for J’s sister and stay within the budget—$35 or less. I ripped out the red raspberry stripe and finished with the yarn I had.

There is a single row of raspberry separating the last brown and green stripes, but it is subtle. This is Reynolds Rapture (50% wool/50% silk) knit in long rows. If knit continuously, this would be two knit rows followed by two purl rows, but I cut the yarn before the purl rows, pushed the fabric to the other end and knit from the other side. Purling 220 continuous stitches is begging for arthritis.

I went to the gym yesterday morning; at 5:50am, to be exact. I’m doing it again tomorrow. I tell you this because 1) I want your pity, and 2) having announced it, I will be motivated to actually go.

Sunday night’s main course.

A beef rump roast with a dry rub composed of chili powder, fresh ground cumin and oregano, chipotle powder, salt & pepper.

I served it with brown gravy, garlicky sauteed spinach and a wild and brown rice mixture cooked in beef broth.

Yeah, I know; I’m two days late.

And medium is the pinkest I can tolerate.